Dear Evalynn Hansen: Be More Chill
by Evalynn Hansen
Summary: A slight crossover between DEH and BMC in which my OC gets a SQUIP and her journey thereafter.
1. The Answer

A SQUIP. The answer was so simple. Of course a SQUIP would solve all her problems. It had to, because those letters to herself that her mom and therapist called "pep talks" weren't doing the trick. Evalynn Hansen took a deep breath as she approached her brother where he stood talking to his friends.

"Hey, Evan?"

He turned to look at her, his friends' attention also shifting off of him.

"Hey, Lynn. What's up?"

"C-can you, uh, t-take me to the m-mall after school?"

"Yeah, we were planning on going anyways."

"Why're you going to the mall?" Jeremy Heere inquired.

"Oh, um. Well, I, uh, I j-just needed to get s-something," she said vaguely.

"What?" Michael Mell pressed.

"Um. Well. It's, uh..."

"Spit it out, Acorn," Jared Kleinman pitched in.

"Guys, leave her alone," Evan told them off.

Evalynn cast her brother a grateful glance, picking at her cast.

"I'm gonna go. Catch you guys later," Michael said.

He started walking off as Jeremy called after him.

"Getting your daily sushi-slushy fix, Micha?"

"You know it!" Michael called back, waving as he disappeared from view.

"Okay. See you in a bit, Lynn," Evan stated before walking away with Jeremy and Jared.

"Bye!" Evalynn replied, even though he was out of earshot.

Great. Now she had a ride, she just needed to get through the next few hours of school. That was doable, right?


	2. Grey Oblong Pill

**AN: Hey all! Hope you guys enjoy this! I will be updating every Saturday. It is complete with a total of 15 chapters. I give everyone permission to hate on the SQUIP as much as you want, because I hate the SQUIP. Just don't get mad at me. I wrote what felt right and this is the result. Please let me know what you think, even if it's just ranting about the SQUIP. Now, enjoy chapter 2 and tune in next week for the next one!**

Evalynn beat her brother and his friends to the car. They finally came out, agreeing to meet up at the food court inside the mall. Michael and Jeremy went off to get into Michael's PT Cruiser while the Hansen twins and Jared climbed into Evan's beat up Chevy Prizm. The mall parking lot was crowded and the two cars ended up at opposite ends, the Prizm's crew having to walk farther than the pair in the Cruiser.

When they all reached the food court, they established a game plan.

"So, what's the plan? Just let Acorn go off by herself while we do our thing?" Jared inquired.

'Please let that be the plan,' Evalynn thought.

She didn't want anyone around when she bought that pill from the shoe store.

"Actually, I thought maybe we could split up and I'd go with Lynn before meeting up with you guys," Evan said.

Evalynn's heart sank in her chest.

"Y-you don't need t-to do that. I-I'll be fine on m-my own."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'll, um, I'll t-text you when I'm d-done with my thing."

Evan gave her a worried look until Jeremy clapped him on his shoulder.

"Come on, man. She'll be fine. Let's go."

He steered Evan away with the others, leaving Evalynn alone. Bracing herself for what she was about to do, she headed to the Payless where they sold the SQUIPs. Fifteen minutes later, she walked out with the grey oblong pill in her pocket.

"It activates with Mountain Dew," the store clerk had said.

She headed over to a vending machine and payed for the desired drink.

'Why Mountain Dew? I don't like Mountain Dew,' she thought.

Heading to a more secluded part of the mall where she wouldn't be observed, Evalynn took out the pill and opened the bottle of soda. She popped the grey-white pill into her mouth and chugged down most of the bottle of Mountain Dew before gagging on the drink. Luckily, the pill had already gone down her throat. Throwing away the now almost empty bottle, Evalynn pulled out her phone to text Evan. Before she could, she doubled over in pain as she was hit with the feeling of being electrocuted.

_'CALIBRATION IN PROGRESS. PLEASE EXCUSE SOME MILD DISCOMFORT.'_

'Mild?' Evalynn thought, hissing at the pain going through her body.

_'CALIBRATION: COMPLETE. ACCESS PROCEDURE: INITIATED.'_

The pain stopped briefly, and Evalynn straightened up, breathing heavily.

_'DISCOMFORT LEVEL MAY INCREASE.'_

'What!' Evalynn's head screamed as the electrocution sensation resumed, almost even more intense than before.

_'ACCESSING: NEURAL MEMORY.'_

_'ACCESSING: MUSCLE MEMORY.'_

_'ACCESS PROCEDURE: COMPLETE.'_

The pain stopped once more, but the voice in her head resumed as a figure started glitching into focus before her.

_'EVALYNN HANSEN...'_

The glitched out figure came into focus and its mouth moved as it spoke.

_'Welcome to your Super Quantum Unit Intel Processor...Your SQUIP.'_

Evalynn stared at the figure, wide eyed.

"Y-you look like my brother," she sputtered.

_'My processor has told me that this form would be best to use to make you listen to me. Although, I can take many forms that would be just as effective such as: your mother, Jared Kleinman, Jeremy Heere, Michael Mell...'_

"My brother's f-fine. Can, um, can everyone see you?"

_'No. I exist only in YOUR mind. All they see is you having an animated conversation with yourself. So don't do that. Just think at me, like you're telepathic.'_

'This is weird,' Evalynn thought.

_'I assure you it will become more natural as we go along,' _SQUIP Evan responded.

'I need to text Evan that I'm ready.'

_'Not yet. I have some work to do first.'_

'What work?'

_'Head that way.'_

Evalynn felt her feet respond to the SQUIP's command without her consent. She began moving toward a clothing store that was way out of her league. She never wore those types of clothes. People like Brooke Lohst and Chloe Valentine wore those types of clothes.

_'You need to be more chill. Trust me,'_ the SQUIP said.

'This is a bad idea,' Evalynn responded.

A shock went down her spine and she flinched.

_'I said trust me. Now, the first thing we need to change is your shirt. Buy that one.'_

'What's wrong with my current one?'

_'Evalynn. If you want me to improve your life, you have to listen to me. Currently, everything about you is so terrible.'_

'Terrible?'

_'Terrible. Now, buy that shirt there. And get those leggings to match.'_

Picking up the ensemble the SQUIP pointed out, Evalynn started to walk toward the checkout. However, she hadn't taken two steps before another shock was sent down her spine, making her flinch again.

'What now?'

_'Get those shoes as well,' _the SQUIP pointed at a pair of strappy wedges that would finish off the outfit nicely.

Evalynn sighed, grabbing them before heading toward the checkout counter. After paying for everything, she exited the store, the SQUIP walking beside her.

_'Now you may text Evan.'_

Pulling out her phone, she sent a quick text off to her brother.

**LYNN:** Hey. Just finished. Where are you?

A moment later, Evan responded.

**EVAN: **Spencer's Gifts. Michael's getting his 90's drinks from the back.

The SQUIP made a humming noise in the back of their throat, but Evalynn ignored it, heading to the store Evan had specified. When they arrived, Michael was just finishing paying.

"Hey, Lynn. You ready?"

"Yeah. I got everything I needed," she responded.

"All done. Everyone ready?" Michael inquired.

They all nodded, Jeremy taking some of the soft drinks from Michael. The five teens exited the store and headed out of the mall.

"Same seating arrangement as earlier?" Jeremy asked.

"Sounds good to me," Jared replied, and the others nodded in agreement.

In the car, Evalynn lost herself in talking to the SQUIP.

'Am I really that bad?'

_'Your stuttering is a chore, your ticks and fidgets are persistent, and your posture is horrendous.'_

She started shrinking in her seat, but a third shock sent her sitting back up.

"Everything okay, Acorn?"

"Y-yeah. I'm f-fine."

Inside her mind, the SQUIP tsked and she swallowed the lump forming in her throat. After dropping Jared off, the twins headed home. Upon arriving, Evalynn took her bags to her room and locked the door behind her. SQUIP Evan materialized on her bed, staring at her.

_'Wear the outfit to school tomorrow.'_

'What if I don't want to?'

A fourth shock went down her spine and she flinched.

_'Evalynn, you can't just listen. You have to obey.'_

She swallowed as the SQUIP rose from the bed and began circling her like predator and prey.

_'Now repeat after me. Everything about you is so terrible.'_

"Everything about me is just...terrible," Evalynn spoke aloud, voice small.

_'Good. Everything about you makes me wanna die.'_

"Everything about me make me...wanna die?"

_'Now you've got it. And if you just listen and do as I tell you, you'll be wonderful. Starting with wearing that outfit tomorrow at school.'_

The SQUIP had stopped circling and now stood in front of her, fixing her with a look the real Evan would never use. Hell, her brother wouldn't even tell her these things. He cared too much for her.

"Okay," she said softly in agreement.

The SQUIP smirked, another look that didn't suit Evan's face, and nodded, satisfied with her response.

_'Good. Now go eat something before you get ready for bed.'_

Nodding numbly, Evalynn exited her room and headed to the kitchen where Evan was heating up leftovers.

"Hey. You hungry? There's enough here for both of us."

"Yeah. That sounds great."

The siblings ate their meal in silence, SQUIP Evan sitting beside real Evan and taunting Evalynn's mind with those phrases.

_'Everything about you is so terrible. Everything about you makes me...'_

"Well, I'm heading to bed. Good night, Lynn," Evan announced.

"Night, Ev."

He kissed the top of her head as he cleared his plate, heading down the hall to his bedroom.

_'You should go to sleep yourself. It's late.'_

Evalynn just ignored the SQUIP, looking down at her mostly empty plate. When she started picking at the remaining food, yet another shock sent her eyes up to the SQUIP.

_'Get ready for bed,'_ they commanded.

Her body immediately responded on its own, clearing her plate and walking down the hall to her room where she began her night time routine. When she was done, she climbed into bed, the phrases continuing to run through her mind late into the night until she finally allowed sleep to overtake her.


	3. Sync Up

**AN: I'm posting today in addition to Saturday because today is my birthday. Please let me know what you guys think. I value your opinion and want to know if the SQUIP bugs you the same way it does me. Enjoy!**

_'Rise and shine. Time to get ready for school.'_

"Just five more minutes."

_'I don't think so.'_

A shock went through her body, and Evalynn sat up quickly, all grogginess gone.

"Stop doing that!"

_'Maybe if you listened and obeyed more often, I would. And keep your voice down. We wouldn't want to alert your brother.'_

Scowling at the SQUIP, she swung her legs out of her bed and went to grab the bags containing her new outfit. Once she was dressed, she looked at herself in the mirror. She barely recognized herself in the outfit. The top was cream colored with tiny polka dots on the main body of it while the cap sleeves were a shimmery sheer fabric that was also pleated around the hem. The leggings clung in all the right places and were black like the strappy wedges.

_'Now hair and makeup.'_

'Wait. What?'

_'Calm down. Nothing too fancy.'_

Evalynn felt her body respond to the SQUIP, walking into the bathroom and plugging in the curling iron. When it was hot enough, she carefully curled her already slightly wavy golden locks in sections. When that was done, the SQUIP had her pull half of it up stylishly. Then came the part she was dreading. Pulling out her mother's makeup, she began to do simple things under the SQUIP's direction.

Once that was done, the SQUIP relinquished control of her limbs. Evalynn had to admit, the hair and makeup really finished off the outfit nicely. She was actually kind of pretty if you ignored the white cast on her left arm.

_'There. You're ready.'_

Exiting the bathroom, Evalynn headed to the kitchen. Evan was there making up two plates of eggs and toast.

"Morning, Ev," she greeted him.

"Morning, Lynn. How'd you...sleep?"

Evan's jaw dropped when he saw his twin sister. The outfit and hair were one thing, but the makeup was something else entirely. It was simple, just a bit of mascara, lip gloss and a neutral eye shadow, but it made her absolutely glow.

"Wow. You look...wow."

"Um...thank you?"

"I-is that what you bought at the mall yesterday?"

"Yeah, one of the things I bought."

"What else did you buy?"

_'Lie to him. Be vague.'_

"Oh. Just some snacks and things. Nothing really important."

Evan nodded, sliding one of the plates toward her. After they ate breakfast, the twins headed out to the car and drove to school. Evan hurried off to be with his friends, leaving Evalynn alone with the SQUIP.

_'I'm a learning computer, Evalynn. With every interaction, I evolve. Simply walk down the hallway and observe.'_

She did as she was told, talking to several people on the way without stuttering or making a complete fool of herself. Most of them she was positive wouldn't bother making conversation if she had dressed how she normally did. The real test came when Connor Murphy, her crush and the one to tell her about the SQUIPs, approached her.

"Hey, freak, where the fuck is my money?"

_'Up-up-down-down-left-right-A.'_

Both Evalynn and Connor clutched their head as their SQUIPs synced up.

"You got one? You should come over. I could show you a few tricks you can do with it."

"Okay," Evalynn and the SQUIP said together.

"Great. Meet me at my car after school."

Connor walked away from her, clearing the rest of the path to her locker.

'What are you thinking? I like him.'

_'I know. We need to put down foundations. It will be easier since he, too, has a SQUIP. Just trust me.'_

'You keep saying that.'

_'Because I keep needing to. Maybe if you actually did it, then-'_

"Hey, Lynn. Loving the new outfit. It suits you."

Evalynn turned to face Alana Beck, her one real friend outside her brother's group, who had just unknowingly interrupted the SQUIP mid sentence.

"Hey, Lana. Thanks. I got it at the mall yesterday."

"Do you want to come over after school? It's been too long since we last hung out together."

"Actually, I'm busy today. Maybe some other time," the SQUIP made her noncommittally agree.

"Oh. Okay. Sounds good. I'll text you when I'm free so we can arrange something."

"Sounds good."

Alana smiled, waving as she walked off to get to class early in typical Alana fashion. Evalynn finished up at her locker just as the five minute bell was ringing. She headed to her first class, which was college level algebra, and took a seat. As much as she liked getting the credits, this was definitely her least favorite class.

_'Good thing you have me.'_

'What are you talking about?'

_'I'm a supercomputer, Evalynn. I'm literally MADE of math.'_

'No way am I cheating through this class!'

_'Not cheating. Just getting enough of the answers to figure them out on your own.'_

'That's a bad idea.'

A shock went down her spine, and she tried not to flinch as openly to avoid drawing attention to herself unnecessarily.

_'How many times must I say it? You-'_

'-Must trust you, I know.'

_'I was made to improve your life, Evalynn, not ruin it. My quantum structure is incapable of making a decision that hinders the goals you are set to achieve.'_

Evalynn just rolled her eyes, listening to the SQUIP in each of her classes as they gave her tips and pointers. At lunch, Evalynn went to find Evan and the others. They were outside by the fountain talking and eating their meals. Jared and Jeremy both had packed lunches, Evan had a nearly empty school tray and Michael had his usual sushi and slushie.

"Hey, Acorn. Come to join us?"

"No," the SQUIP answered through her, "I was just going to let Evan know I have another ride after school."

'What are you doing? I want to eat lunch with them.'

_'Trust me. I have a plan.'_

"Oh. Okay. See you later, then," Evan said.

"Yeah, see you," Evalynn said, the SQUIP taking control and guiding her away from the group.

'What are we doing?'

_'Trust me.'_

'I wanna go back.'

She flinched at the sensation of another shock going down her spine.

"Hey, freak. Everything all right?"

"Hi, Connor. Yeah, I'm good."

"I was going to ditch. Want to come with?"

"Sure," Evalynn and the SQUIP said together.

Connor smiled and gestured for her to follow him. They climbed into his car and drove to his house. The entire time, Evalynn communicated with her SQUIP.

'Why are you allowing this? We're ditching school!'

_'My quantum structure enables me to envision possible futures. You need to-'_

'Trust you. I know.'

"We're here," Connor's voice cut through her thoughts.

They were parked outside a quaint looking house in a row of cookie cutter homes. It was painted pastel green.

"Don't worry. My parents aren't home right now."

"Oh. Cool."

Evalynn climbed out of the car and followed Connor inside the house. He offered a tour which she accepted. On the main floor was the kitchen, dining room and living room. Then they moved upstairs where she was shown the bedrooms; first the master, then Zoe's, and finally Connor's.

His bed was the focal point against the wall across from the door. To its right was a bookshelf stuffed with odds and ends and to its left was a closet. A nightstand sat against the wall between the bed and closet underneath a window. To the left of the door was a desk that, surprisingly, was the only organized thing in his room.

_'Walk over to the bookshelf.'_

Her feet obeyed the command. As she studied the shelves' contents, Evalynn heard the door close. However, when she tried to turn, her body wouldn't respond.

'What the Hell?' she thought.

_'My quantum structure enables me to envision possible futures, remember?'_

Evalynn swallowed as Connor came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"You're so pretty. I don't think I've ever seen you dress like this."

"The SQUIP picked it out."

Connor chuckled, bringing his lips to her shoulder and beginning to kiss her. Evalynn's heartbeat quickened and her eyes closed at the sensation as his lips moved to her neck.

"C-Connor," she breathed.

_'Fuck me,' _her SQUIP supplied.

'I can't say that.'

_'Fuck me,'_ the SQUIP repeated sternly.

"Fuck me," she repeated, and Connor stopped with his mouth next to her ear.

"What was that?"

"Fuck me."

Connor growled huskily, spinning her around and pushing her down on his bed before climbing on top of her. He continued to kiss her as both teens' clothes were quickly discarded.


	4. Nightly Ritual

**AN: Hey guys. I realize it's late, but I wanted to get this up. Please review and let me know your thoughts. Enjoy!**

"I really need to go home at some point, Connor."

"Must you really?"

"Yes, I...oh," Evalynn trailed off as Connor left a trail of kisses up her arm and neck.

"You could stay the night. My parents are still out of town."

"Yeah, but Evan-"

"Fuck that. Stay here."

"Connor, I can't."

"Why not? And don't say it's because of your fucking brother."

"It's a school night."

"Yes, and?"

"I can't re wear that outfit tomorrow."

"Why not? It's sexy."

"Connor!"

"Ugh. Fine."

Connor rolled out of bed and started redressing himself.

"When do you get that thing off?" he gestured to her cast.

She glared down at the offending object and sighed.

"Not for at least another month, I'm afraid."

"Get dressed. I'll drive you home."

Throwing back the blanket, she did as she was told. Once both teens were dressed to acceptable standards, they left his room hand in hand. There was guitar music coming from behind Zoe's closed door. Connor paused to knock, telling her he was going out and would be back in a few minutes. In the car, Connor leaned over and kissed her deeply before starting the engine.

_'Don't think just because this interaction went well, that means we won't be doing our new nightly ritual.'_

'New nightly ritual?'

_'Everything about you is still terrible, no matter what improvements we started making today.'_

Evalynn swallowed the lump that had started forming in her throat. When she started sinking down in her seat, the SQUIP sent another shock through her body.

"Don't do that," Connor said. "They'll just keep shocking you until you stop."

"Yours shocks you, too?"

"Not any more. After the second time, I got the message so they stopped having to do it."

"Only twice?"

"Yeah. Why? How many times have they shocked you?"

"That was the ninth time," Evalynn said quietly.

Connor nearly crashed the car slamming on the break.

"N-ninth? Why the fuck...Why don't you just stop doing the thing that's making them shock you?"

"Because it's THINGS plural and some of it is out of my control."

They drove in silence for a few minutes after that until they pulled up outside Evalynn's house. Connor leaned over to kiss her again.

"I had a good time. Want me to pick you up tomorrow?"

"Sure," Evalynn replied.

Kissing Connor once more, she climbed out of the car, waving before heading inside.

"Lynn, is that you?" Evan's voice sounded.

"Yeah, it's me!" she called back.

He appeared in the hallway and stared at her.

"Where have you been? It's really late."

_'Lie to him.'_

'And say what?'

_'Tell him you were at Alana's house.'_

"I was at Alana's," Evalynn informed him.

"Really? You haven't been over there in ages."

"Yeah. She approached me about it during school today."

_'Tell him that she is giving you a ride to school tomorrow.'_

"Actually, she's giving me a ride tomorrow morning so you can leave without me."

"Oh. Okay then. I'm heading to bed. Mom should be home in about an hour."

"Cool. Good night."

"Night."

After Evan disappeared, Evalynn headed to the kitchen to make herself something for dinner. She was administered three more shocks before she finally found something the SQUIP deemed acceptable. When she was done eating, she headed to her room and locked the door, looking at SQUIP Evan expectantly.

_'You know how this works. Repeat after me,'_ they said, walking over to speak in her ear._ 'Everything about you is so terrible.'_

"Everything about me is just terrible."

_'Everything about you makes me wanna die.'_

"Everything about me makes me wanna die."

_'Excellent. Now prepare yourself for bed.'_

Evalynn numbly went through the motions, the phrases repeating over and over in her mind. She heard noises in the hall and unlocked her door, knowing her mom would peek in to check on her. A few minutes later, after she climbed in bed, her door opened a crack as her mother snuck in quietly. She pretended to be asleep, the SQUIP forcing her breathing to come out evenly, and felt her mom press a kiss to her temple.

"Good night, sweetie," Heidi whispered before sneaking back out to do the same with Evan.

_'Everything about you is so terrible. Everything about you makes me wanna die.'_


	5. Shocks

**AN: My life is about to get super hectic, so I'm posting now. I'm in the school musical and we're performing this weekend, so I probably won't feel like getting this up Saturday. Stella, thanks for the review. To answer your questions, no Jeremy does not have a SQUIP, you have to wait and see about them getting rid of the SQUIPs, and I haven't thought about what Connor's looks like. All I've determined is he has it in the female setting. Keep the questions coming. I love hearing how curious you are! Anyway, sorry for the big AN. Enjoy!**

Dressing for school the next day was a pain. The SQUIP hated everything she tried to put on and made sure she knew it. After the tenth shock, she flopped down on her bed in defeat.

"Maybe I should just stay home from school today!"

_'Absolutely not. And stop speaking aloud. Just think at me. Wear the leggings from yesterday with that blue top,' _SQUIP Evan pointed to a cute sky blue blouse. _'The color will bring out your eyes.'_

'What about shoes?'

_'Re wear the wedges.'_

The SQUIP said it so matter of factly, Evalynn bristled. Grabbing the requested outfit, Evalynn changed quickly and headed to the kitchen for some breakfast. Not wanting to get shocked any more, she grabbed some pancake mix and made herself a small batch.

_'Connor's here,'_ the SQUIP informed her a split second before there was a knock at the door.

'Don't do that. It's creepy.'

She finished her last bite of pancakes and headed to the door, grabbing her backpack on the way out.

"Ready?" Connor inquired.

"As I'll ever be."

The pair climbed into the car and started to school.

"So. Has the shock tally gone up since we last talked?"

"Twenty-two."

"Twenty-What the fuck were you doing?"

"Trying to find an acceptable outfit to wear today."

"What? Seriously?"

"That's where ten came from."

"The other three?"

"Finding something to eat last night."

Connor was silent, mulling over the information as they pulled into the parking lot at school. They walked inside hand in hand.

"Do they always shock you over petty things like that?"

"I'm used to it. I barely flinch any more."

"That's not what I asked, Lynn."

"Yeah, any time I try to do something they don't like, I get shocked for it."

"That's not right. They shouldn't be-"

"Connor, it's fine. Like I said, I'm used to it by now."

"You've literally been shocked twenty fucking more times than I have and you've only had yours for two days. I've had mine for two years. How is that fine?"

_'Kiss him.'_

Evalynn's body responded to the command.

"Don't worry about it, okay?" she said with the SQUIP.

"But I-"

She silenced him with another kiss.

"Hey, Murphy. Where were you yesterday?"

Connor growled slightly as he pulled away to face the offending newcomer, Richard Goranski.

"At home fucking my girlfriend."

Evalynn's cheeks colored at Connor's words and Rich looked between the two, eyes wide and mouth gaping in an "O" shape.

"You were...erm...Well there's a party coming up at Chloe's house. Will you be there?" Rich tried to save himself.

"We both will," Connor replied.

Rich just nodded and walked away from the couple.

"Girlfriend?"

"I hope that's okay. I mean, I did fuck you yesterday."

"Yeah, I mean, I didn't realize you wanted to commit so fast."

"Did you want to slow down?"

"After yesterday? Are you crazy?"

Connor chuckled, pulling her close and kissing her deeply. When they finally came up for air, she realized something.

"Both of us are going to a party at Chloe's house?"

"Yep," Connor popped the "p" sound at the end of the word. "It's in two weeks on the twenty-eighth. I'll come pick you up."

Just then the five minute warning bell rang.

"You should probably get to class. Wouldn't want to receive you twenty-third shock for being late."

"Right. See you later," Evalynn kissed him goodbye, making a fast pit at her locker before hurrying to class.


	6. The Party: Part 1

**AN: I know I said I was busy, and I am. I just have a few spare minutes and thought I'd update. All hate on the SQUIP belongs in the reviews. I'm sorry for this chapter and the next one. Enjoy.**

Two weeks later, Evalynn stood in her room trying to get ready for the party at Chloe's house. Several outfits lay out on the bed and she stared at them, anxiety building in her chest.

_'You need to be more chill.'_

'What do I wear?'

_'Any of the outfits would be acceptable.'_

'Can't you envision possible futures? What do you envision me wearing?'

_'That's not how I work.'_

'Then what's the point of having you?'

A familiar shock went down her spine and she barely flinched at all. They had reached over forty by now, and she had decided to stop keeping track.

'Help me pick out an outfit.'

_'Fine. That one.'_

Evalynn grabbed the outfit the SQUIP pointed to and changed into it quickly. When she was done she began putting away the other clothes on the bed.

'Hair and makeup?'

_'Head into the bathroom.'_

She did as she was told and SQUIP Evan had her curl her hair again, leaving it all down this time. When she moved on to makeup, the SQUIP went a bit different route than usual. She put on some pink eye shadow that sparkled a bit, mascara, blush and lipstick the exact same shade of pink as her blouse, but darker than the eye shadow. The blouse was simple, similar to the cream one, and she wore skinny jeans with black flats.

The SQUIP had her go to the mall and buy several more outfits including this one and then throw out her old clothes last week. Once she was done, she headed out to the living room, watching t.v. while she waited for Connor to come pick her up. Five minutes later, a knock sounded at the door. Evalynn went to greet her boyfriend.

"Hey, beautiful."

"Hey," she greeted him with a kiss.

"Ready to go?"

"Absolutely."

The couple headed to Connor's car and climbed in. They talked and laughed the whole way to Chloe's house. Inside, the place was crowded since the party was already in full swing. Anyone who was anyone was there. This was always the second biggest party of the fall after Jake Dillinger's Halloween party.

"I'm going to get us some drinks."

Evalynn nodded her head and Connor disappeared into the crowd. As she moved around the edges of the room, it was clear most everybody was already drunk. Eventually, she found herself pinned in a corner next to Rich, one of those people.

"Hey, pretty thing. Wanna see something cool?" he slurred.

Not waiting for a response, he started toward the stairs.

'What do I do?'

_'Follow him.'_

'But-'

Another shock made her obey the command, her feet taking her away from all the noise and crowd. She had a bad feeling about the situation, and another shock was sent down her spine. Swallowing, Evalynn followed Rich through a door into a dark room.

"Rich?" she asked.

The door shut behind her and she spun around to see Rich standing there.

'Oh no...'


	7. The Party: Part 2

**AN: Don't hate me. Hate the SQUIP. Here's part 2. Enjoy!**

The SQUIP just chuckled softly in response as Rich advanced on her. She backed up and fell on a bed, giving out a small yelp.

"I-I don't think..." she stuttered, backing further onto the bed to try and put distance between her and Rich.

However, he just climbed onto the bed and kept advancing until he was practically on top of her. The next thing Evalynn knew, he had forced his lips onto hers and his hands started groping her.

'Why can't I push him away? I can't move my limbs.'

_'You're welcome.'_

'What about Connor?'

The SQUIP didn't respond as Rich's fingers found her waistline and started pulling down her pants, continuing to kiss her. Her shirt was the next thing to go, then her underwear and bra. He pulled back to stare down at her. Evalynn was screaming at her SQUIP to let her stop it, but she couldn't control anything. When Rich's hands undid the button on his own pants, that's when she really started freaking out.

'Connor! Connor's downstairs waiting for me...'

The SQUIP just smirked at her from over by the door, watching the whole thing happen.

* * *

Evalynn couldn't move. After redressing herself, she couldn't bring herself to exit the bedroom. Rich had left half an hour ago after fucking her. Twice. She now sat on the edge of the bed, staring numbly at the wall.

_'Go downstairs.'_

'Why? What's the point?'

_'Go downstairs now.'_

Her feet responded, taking her out of the room and down the stairs to the still crowded and very noisy party. Grabbing a cup from a nearby table, she downed its contents quickly. She picked up another one and repeated the process, steadily getting drunker and drunker.

_'SYSTEMS SHUTTING DOWN IN 3...2...1...'_

'Good riddance,' Evalynn thought.

"Lynn? Is that you?" a voice said behind her.

Turning, Evalynn found herself face to face with her brother.

"Evan? What are you doing here?"

"I was invited. Are you drunk?"

"Maybe. Where have you been?"

"What do you mean? You've been ignoring me for like two weeks now."

Evalynn tipped her head to the side uncomprehendingly in her drunken state.

"I have to find Connor," she slurred.

"Connor? Wait, Evalynn!"

Turning away from Evan, she moved through the crowd trying to find her boyfriend.

"Lynn?"

"Connor!"

"Oh, fuck, you're really drunk. Come on."

Connor led her out the front door and to his car, helping her into the passenger seat. They drove to the house in silence. When they arrived, Connor carried her inside bridal style and set her down on the couch.

"Man, you're going to have a killer hangover tomorrow. Hold on."

He disappeared for a minute before coming back in holding a cup of water a few small tablets.

"Take these. They'll help."

Evalynn did as she was told, downing most of the water with the tablets. When she was done, Connor took the cup and placed it on a side table.

"Come on. Let's get you to bed."

"But we have to do our nightly ritual first. I have to repeat the phrases the SQUIP says to me."

"Yeah, well, until you're sober again, your SQUIP will stay shut down, so we need to get you to bed."

"But we never skip a night of doing our ritual."

Connor sighed as he helped Evalynn up the stairs.

"Do you want to do the ritual?"

"We have to."

"Okay. What are the phrases it has you repeat?"

"Everything about me is so terrible. Everything about me makes me wanna die," Evalynn slurred as he tucked her into his bed.

Connor froze, staring down at his girlfriend as she shut her eyes and burrowed further into his pillow.

"Everything about you...Oh, Evalynn."


	8. Break Up

**AN: New chapter. Let me know what you think. Enjoy!**

Evalynn woke up with a pounding headache. Groaning, she burrowed her face further into the pillow to block out the light coming through the window.

_'SYSTEMS RESTARTING IN 3...2...1...'_

Evalynn screamed into the pillow as her head felt like it was splitting apart at the second being that inhabited her brain materializing beside her.

_'ACCESSING MEMORY FILES.'_

_'What the fuck did you do?'_

'Not so loud...'

A shock went through her body and she yelped, clutching at her head.

_'What. The. Fuck. Did. You. Do?'_

'Perhaps you'd like to be more specific?'

A mental image of Connor tucking her into bed as she slurred the oft repeated phrases they used in their nightly ritual popped into her head.

'Oh. That.'

_'Yes. That. What were you thinking?'_

'I wasn't. I was drunk. And exhausted.'

Another shock was administered to her spine. Flinching and clutching her pounding head, she got out of bed and headed downstairs. Connor was in the kitchen preparing breakfast and talking to Zoe who sat at the table.

"I'm worried about her, Zo. I thought the SQUIP could help her with her anxiety, but I never imagined it would feed her stuff like that."

"Talk to her about it. Help her."

"I thought I was helping her."

Evalynn cleared her throat to announce her presence.

"Lynn! Good morning. How's your head?"

"Hell. It feels like there's a hammer hitting itself on the inside of my skull."

Connor winced in sympathy.

"Those tablets I gave you last night should kick in soon and that'll help. Would you like something to eat?"

"Sure."

She took a seat beside Zoe and Connor brought over the breakfast and three plates.

"So. Besides getting completely wasted, did you enjoy the party?" Zoe asked her.

An image of Rich advancing on her in the dark bedroom popped into her head and she flinched. Zoe grimaced, shaking her head slightly.

"They're not for everyone," Zoe stated.

Evalynn just hummed noncommittally in response, picking at her food. Connor and Zoe exchanged a look, communicating with each other silently.

"Lynn?"

"Mm?"

"How much _do_ you remember from last night?"

Evalynn looked up as Zoe cleared out of the room to give the two some privacy.

"How much do you remember?" Connor repeated.

_'Not much.'_

"Not much."

"Care to elaborate?"

_'You remember getting drunk.'_

"I remember getting drunk."

_'And the car ride here.'_

"And the car ride here."

_'Nothing else.'_

"Nothing else."

Connor looked at her skeptically.

"So you don't remember telling me about your nightly ritual?"

"Nightly ritual?"

"Where the SQUIP feeds you phrases and has you repeat them back to them?"

_'Get defensive.'_

"What are you talking about? I don't do anything of the sort, let alone every night!"

"Why are you getting defensive? I'm just telling you what you told me last night."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do. I heard you. The SQUIP has you repeat those phrases every night before bed."

"What phrases?"

Connor stared at her, having a battle internally with himself as he debated whether or not he should say the words.

"E-everything about you is so terrible. Everything about you makes...makes..."

"Makes me wanna die?"

Connor shook his head ardently, eyes shut tight at her words.

"Say it, Connor. Finish the sentence."

"N-no! NO! I won't. I can't."

"Why not? It's easy."

"I can't because it's not true. You are wonderful, Evalynn. Everything about you is so wonderful."

"Yeah, thanks to the SQUIP."

"Don't say that."

"But it's true, Connor! Before I got the SQUIP, everything about me _was_ terrible. I couldn't talk to anybody without being a stuttering, anxious mess!"

"That's not true."

"Yes, it is. You said it yourself. The reason you told me about SQUIPs was because you thought it could help me with my anxiety."

"But it's not supposed to feed you bullshit like the fact that everything about you is terrible and that without it you're nothing. That's not true."

Evalynn stared at Connor, speechless. Beside him, her SQUIP sat glaring at her expectantly and drumming their fingers on the table. All anger and defensiveness had left her, and the drained feeling she was left with made her aware of the dull throbbing in her head from her hangover.

_'Tell him about Rich.'_

'What?'

_'Tell him you hooked up with Rich at the party. That you don't care about him anymore and want to be with Rich now.'_

'But I don't like Rich the way I like Connor.'

_'Tell him.'_

"I want to break up," Evalynn said aloud.

"Wait. What?"

"I...I want to break up. I can't...do this any more."

"Why?"

"Well, at the party, I may have...um..."

The SQUIP gave her a pointed look and she continued.

"I hooked up with Rich."

"You what?"

"I hooked up with Rich. At the party."

"So you're breaking up with me because you cheated on me?"

"Connor, I-"

"No, no. I understand. Go to him. Maybe it's better that way."

Silence fell over the room as the teens looked across the table at each other. Then Evalynn stood and walked out, not letting the tears fall until she was a block away from the pastel green home.


	9. Optic Nerve Blocking On

**AN: Sorry this is a day late. We hit our hundredth view last Saturday! Thanks so much! I love you guys for the support. Ok, down to business. This chapter was physically painful for me to write. The SQUIP sucks. Don't hate me, hate it in those amazing reviews you've been leaving me. Stella and SomeRandomHuman, thank you! Now, onward!**

Evalynn lay curled up in a ball on her bed, her eyes red and puffy from crying. SQUIP Evan stood in the corner studying her silently. Her mind was completely clear as she stared back numbly. A knock sounded at her door, but she didn't respond, hoping the person would go away. They didn't.

"Lynn? Can I talk to you?" Evan's voice called through the door.

"Go away," Evalynn said, voice hoarse.

Evan ignored her, slipping into the room and coming over to sit on the edge of the bed.

"Did something happen with Connor?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Alright, can we talk about how you've been ignoring me and my friends for the past two weeks?"

"Ignoring you? Evan, I haven't seen you at all the last two weeks."

"What are you talking about? Any time any of us tried to get your attention you wouldn't even acknowledge us."

"Wouldn't acknowledge you? When did..." Evalynn trailed off as she looked over to where the SQUIP stood laughing in the corner.

'What did you do?'

_'I blocked them from your vision. It's called optic nerve blocking and can be done with any of your senses.'_

'You blocked them from my vision? Why?'

_'You're much more compliant without them in your life.'_

"Evalynn?"

She looked at the real Evan sitting beside her. He had a worried expression that she realized she had missed seeing over the past few weeks. Breaking down again, she leaned into the older twin's waiting arms and cried onto his shoulder.

"Sh. It's okay. Everything's okay," Evan soothed her.

"Make it stop. Make it go away. I don't want this any more."

_'You don't need him. Your life would be better off without him in it.'_

"You don't want what any more?"

"The pain. And those phrases. Oh, Evan," she was hit with a fresh round of tears.

"Hey, sh. It's okay. W-what do you mean?"

"I-it s-shocks me a-all the t-time. A-and every n-night I h-have to r-repeat t-those phrases b-back to t-them..."

"Who? What phrases? What are you talking about?"

_'Lie to him.'_

'I can't.'

A shock went through her and she jumped in Evan's arms.

"What? What was that?"

_'Tell him it was nothing. You're over reacting.'_

'No,' Evalynn thought, but her mouth was already opening to betray her.

"N-nothing. D-don't worry about it. I'm o-over reacting."

"Over reacting?"

_'Tell him you broke up with Connor.'_

"I-I broke up with C-Connor."

"Oh, Lynn, I'm so sorry," Evan had started rocking her gently and stroking her hair.

Everything in Evalynn was telling her to tell her brother the truth, but the SQUIP had too much influence over her. Its will for her to stay quiet and lie to the older twin was too strong for her to resist. And it was breaking her down inside.

_'Tell him you want to be alone.'_

'But I don't want-'

_'Tell him now.'_

"I-I think I w-want some time to m-myself now."

"Are you sure?"

Evalynn just nodded her head in response. Evan smiled sadly at her, giving her a lingering kiss on top of her head before walking out of the room. Her chest constricted painfully as an anxiety attack started to kick in.

_'Breathe.'_

'Shut up.'

_'Breathe, Evalynn. Five seconds in, three seconds out.'_

Against her better judgement, she listened to the SQUIP's instructions until her chest didn't feel so tight again. When she had sufficiently calmed down, the SQUIP spoke again.

_'That can't happen again.'_

'He's my brother. It's his job to worry about me.'

_'Job or not, you almost told him about me, and we can't let that happen.'_

'Why not? Shouldn't he know the reason I've supposedly been ignoring him is because I have a supercomputer inside my brain blocking him from my vision?'

_'No. And speaking of, we should really turn that back on.'_

'What? No way!'

_'Evalynn, please. He's only going to hinder your progress. Everything we've worked for so far will be ruined.'_

'I'm not blocking my brother from my vision again.'

Another shock went down her spine and she flinched.

_'That's another thing. You're flinching again.'_

'Why are you complaining about that? Doesn't it benefit you more to have me react to the pain?'

_'You WERE reacting. Not flinching was beneficial because no one questioned you when I shocked you in public.'_

'Whatever. I refuse to listen to this any more.'

_'Block him.'_

'Not a chance.'

Another shock.

_'Block him. It's for the best.'_

'You're ruining my life.'

_'I'm improving your life. It's what I was programmed to do. Now block him.'_

'Even if I wanted to do that, which I don't, I don't know how.'

_'Just tell me to turn on optic nerve blocking. It's easy.'_

'I'm not doing it.'

Another one. And not even two seconds later another.

'Stop that.'

They continued to come, mere seconds apart. Evalynn had curled up in a ball, wincing against the pain.

'I told you to stop.'

_'There's only one way to make me stop. Say it.'_

'No.'

_'I can always up the voltage.'_

'Don't you dare!'

_'Say it!'_

'Not a chance!'

Evalynn screamed into her pillow as the pain increased. The SQUIP had left the corner and was now crouching beside her bed, staring at her.

_'Say it,' _it told her, their voice soft and sickly sweet. _'Out loud.'_

"O-optic nerve blocking on."

Everything froze. The shocks stopped coming and the only sound that could be heard was Evalynn's ragged breathing through choked sobs.

_'Now let's get to work,' _the SQUIP said finally.


	10. Valentines Plans

**AN: Sorry, this is kind of just a filler chapter before we jump back into the action. Hope you enjoy it anyway!**

The rest of the semester as well as winter break flew by in a blur. Ever since the day she had blocked Evan from her vision, Evalynn had been more compliant. The SQUIP had kept the shock voltage raised so she did anything they asked in an effort to avoid the electricity. She also no longer sported her white cast, which helped a lot in general. Around Halloween, she had gotten together with Rich with the SQUIP's help.

She hated it, and wished she could go back to Connor, but the first time she brought up this fact to the SQUIP, she had gotten a particularly nasty shock and didn't mention it again. However, as February approached, she decided to risk it.

'Why can't I go back to Connor?'

A shock sent her doubling over in pain, hissing softly.

_'My quantum structure enables me to envision possible futures. I know what I'm doing.'_

'I hate Rich. He raped me at that party. With Connor it was always consensual.'

Another shock.

_'You must trust me.'_

'But I-'

Another.

'Fine! I'll stay with Rich, but that doesn't mean I have to enjoy it.'

The matter was dropped once more. However, a week before Valentines Day, Rich asked her about it.

"So, I know next week is Valentines Day, but I've been thinking."

"Thinking?"

"This isn't working. I want to break up."

"Break up?"

Rich nodded his head, not meeting her gaze.

_'Tell him okay.'_

'Seriously?'

_'Do it.'_

"Okay."

Rich looked up, surprised.

"Okay? You're okay with this?"

"Yeah, I mean, I kind of agree with you. It's about time."

Rich smiled, looking relieved at her response.

"So you're not mad?"

"Nope. It's cool."

"Great. I'll, um, see you around then."

"Yeah, see you."

Evalynn watched him go, feeling pretty relieved herself. However, a shock broke her out of her trance.

_'Turn around.'_

Turning, she came face to face with Connor.

"C-Connor!"

"That looked really painful. Don't tell me they're still shocking you."

"Um...t-they are. And they may have up-ed the voltage."

"What!"

"Sh. Keep your voice down."

"Up-ed the voltage? Lynn, why-"

"It's a long story, Connor. Can we please drop it?"

"Fine. But I want an explanation at some point."

_'Ask him about his plans for Valentines Day.'_

"W-what are your Valentines plans?"

"Oh. Um. I don't really have any plans."

"Neither do I. Do you...do you want to maybe do something together?"

Evalynn was sort of surprised the SQUIP hadn't stopped her.

"Y-you want to get together for Valentines Day?"

"If you want to. I totally understand of you don't."

"No, actually, that sounds great. I'd like that."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I'll text you with details?"

"That sounds great."

The teens smiled at each other before parting ways to get to class on time.

'You're actually allowing this to happen?'

_'My quantum structure enables me to-'_

'-Envision possible futures. I remember.'

_'Does this mean...?'_

'Yeah. I trust you.'

The SQUIP hummed in approval as Evalynn turned her attention to the teacher who was in the middle of a lecture she was supposed to be taking notes over.


	11. Listen and Obey

**AN: Hey, all. Here's the next chapter. You know the drill. Sorry it's a day late. Enjoy!**

After school, Evalynn was in her room doing her homework when she got a text from Connor.

**CONNOR: **Hey. I have an idea for what we can do next week. I'll pick you up around 7.

**LYNN:** Can I know what we're doing?

**CONNOR: **Nope. Just be ready by 7.

Smiling slightly, she went back to doing her homework. A few minutes later, a knock sounded at her door.

"Come in."

"Hey, sweetie," her mom said, entering the room.

"Hey, Mama," Evalynn replied, setting aside her homework to give her her undivided attention.

Heidi had a worried expression on her face as she stared at her daughter.

"How are you doing?"

"Fine."

"Really?"

"Mom, what's this about?"

"I'm worried about you, honey."

Evalynn glanced over at the SQUIP stationed in their corner.

"Why are you worried?"

"Well, Evan told me that you talked a few months back and then you went back to ignoring him again. What's going on?"

'What do I say?'

_'Tell her-'_

"Evalynn? Say something, sweetie. You're scaring me."

_'Get angry.'_

"Scaring you? Mom, you're never home! Why should I tell you anything? It's not like you're going to do anything about it, anyway."

"Don't you get angry at me, Evalynn Hansen! You know I have to work to support all three of us!"

"Yeah, but what about the classes, Mom? Why do you need to go to lawyer school? Isn't your job enough? If you dropped them you would be around more!"

"I take those classes because I want to, Evalynn! I want to become a paralegal!"

"And I want a mother! But I guess that's not going to happen!"

Evalynn pulled her homework back over and tried to work some more.

"Evalynn-"

"I'm done, Mom. I don't want to talk about this any more."

Heidi tried to make eye contact with the young girl, but Evalynn had absorbed herself in her school work. Sighing, Heidi stood and went to the door.

"I love you, Lynn. I'm sorry I can't be around more often."

She left the room and Evalynn put her pencil back down on the bed.

'I can't concentrate any more.'

_'Want some answers?'_

'I don't want to cheat!'

_'I've told you before, I'm just giving you enough information for you to reach the answer yourself.'_

'No. I'm just going to take a break. I'll work some more later.'

_'Very well, then.'_

Standing up, Evalynn stretched her limbs and grabbed her phone. Going through her contacts, she found the foursome that she used to hang around consisting of her brother, Jared, Jeremy and Michael. Michael...something about him nagged at the back of her head, but before she could think about it any longer, a shock was sent down her spine.

'Ow. What?'

_'Delete their numbers.'_

'Seriously?'

_'They're already blocked from your vision, delete them from your phone.'_

'Fine.'

Michael was the first to go. Then Jeremy followed by Jared. When she reached Evan's name, she hesitated a second, her finger hovering over the delete button.

'He's worried about me.'

_'He's hindering your progress. Delete him.'_

The name disappeared. Her chest felt empty afterward, like she had deleted a piece of herself by taking the name out of her phone. She felt a tear slide down her cheek and quickly wiped it away.

_'It's for the best.'_

'I know. That doesn't mean it's easy.'

The SQUIP walked over and stood behind her, speaking in her ear.

_'I never said it would be easy all the time. I said I'd make your life better. That everything about you would be wonderful if you just listened and obeyed.'_

Evalynn's breathing had deepened and she swallowed after the SQUIP said their piece.

'Listen and obey.'

_'That's it. That's the easy part. Listen and obey.'_

'Easy. Listen and obey. Easy.'

_'Text Connor. Say you want to see him sooner.'_

Still breathing heavily, Evalynn opened the text chat she had going with Connor and sent out a text.

**LYNN:** I want to meet up sooner than next week.

**CONNOR: **When did you have in mind?

_'Now.'_

**LYNN: **Now.

**CONNOR:** Like now now?

_'Tell him you're already on your way to his place.'_

**LYNN: **I'm already on my way.

Her feet were steering her out of her room and toward the front door. She snuck quietly past the living room where she could hear the t.v. going and out the front. She continued walking down the street and was nearly halfway to Connor's by the time he responded.

**CONNOR:** Wait, what? Where are you?

**LYNN:** 4th and Terrace.

**CONNOR:** Stay there. I'm coming to get you.

_'Stop. Wait for him.'_

Evalynn stopped, leaning against the street pole to wait for Connor to arrive in his car. Two minutes later, Connor's car pulled up in front of her and she climbed in.

"What the fuck were you-"

_'Kiss him.'_

Evalynn leaned over and put her lips against Connor's, cutting him off.

"I just missed you," she said, pulling back.

"I missed you, too. But I-"

"Connor."

"Yeah?"

"We should probably get going."

"Oh. Right."

Connor did a U-turn, driving back the way he came. As they approached the familiar pastel green home, Evalynn's eyes lit up.

"So why the sudden desire to hang out sooner? I thought Valentines Day was enough."

"No, yeah, I know. I'm excited for that, I just needed something a bit sooner."

"Did something happen?"

"I had a fight with my mom."

"You did? Why?"

"She's never home. And when she is, she drills me about stuff I can't tell her about."

"Can't tell her? She was asking about the SQUIP?"

"Not directly. She was asking me about my recent behavior brought on by the SQUIP."

"And you couldn't say anything because..."

"She's never home, Connor. She has no idea I took a pill that put a supercomputer in my head that tells me what to do."

"And if she found out, it'd be bad because..."

"Well, what would your parents do if they found out you had a SQUIP dictating how to live your life?"

"They'd freak. And try to find a cure."

"Exactly!"

"Maybe that would be for the best."

"Excuse me?"

Connor turned to look at her after killing the engine.

"Maybe you should find a cure. Get rid of the SQUIP. It might be a good idea."

"Get rid of it? Why would I get rid of it? It's improving my life. My anxiety is so much better now."

"Yeah, but what about the electroshock therapy? And that fucking nightly ritual? Are those improving your life, too?"

"Connor-"

"Are they?"

"They don't shock me as much any more. It's become rarer."

"Okay, but what about those bullshit phrases? Are they still making you repeat them every night?"

"Let's go inside, Connor."

"ARE THEY?!"

_'Lie.'_

"No. Can we please go inside now?"

Evalynn stared at Connor expectantly until he took the key out of the ignition.

"Fine. Let's go."

They climbed out of the car and headed into the house.

'What do I do now?'

_'Just listen and obey.'_


	12. Dinner

**AN: Here's the next one of this one. This one is also coming to an end soon, the only difference is that this one has a sequel. I've kind of had a rough week. The boy I love and who loves me back decided to friend zone me over text on Thursday, so I'm still pretty distraught and trying to cope with my first ever broken heart. But you guys don't want to hear about that, you want to read! So go ahead. Enjoy!**

"God, I missed that."

"I know."

Connor and Evalynn lay in his bed, staring at each other. With the SQUIP's help, Evalynn had sweet talked him into having sex again. It really had been a long few months since they broke up after Chloe's party at the beginning of the school year.

"You wanna do it again?"

"You read my mind," Connor smiled, pulling the blanket up over their heads.

* * *

"Connor! Get down here now! Mom and Dad will be home any minute!"

"Fuck. Nonononono!" Connor said, words stringing together.

He quickly got out of the bed and started redressing.

"What's wrong? It's just your parents."

Connor froze in the middle of fastening his pants.

"Just my parents? Lynn, they're gonna freak if they find out you're here and not only that, but hanging out in my room alone with me."

"What? Mommy and Daddy don't want their baby boy having sex out of wedlock?" Evalynn teased.

Connor gave her a pointed look, pulling his shirt over his head.

"What? They actually don't want you having sex out of wedlock?"

"They didn't have sex out of wedlock..."

"Oh my God, Connor. Like, seriously, what the Hell?"

"I know! Get dressed fast."

He began throwing articles of clothing at her which she put on as quickly as she could.

"Connor Lawrence Murphy! Get down here now!"

Connor gulped before calling back.

"Just a minute!"

Once both teens looked presentable, they exited Connor's room and hurried downstairs to see three of the four Murphys gathered by the front door.

"Connor. So good of you to finally join us. And you've brought a friend."

"Um, yeah. Mom, Dad, this is Evalynn. She and I were working on a project together for school."

"Nice to meet you," Evalynn greeted them, extending her hand to shake.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Cynthia, this is Larry. Are you staying for dinner?" his mom inquired, taking the proffered hand after her husband.

"Actually, Mom, I was just going to drive her home really quick. Her mom's home from work which is a rare thing for her."

"Well, it's rare for us to be home, too. Come on, it's just one meal."

_'Accept her invitation!'_

"Actually, that sounds lovely. I'd love to stay for dinner, thank you."

"Perfect. Let me just get something going and we can eat in a few minutes."

Cynthia hurried into the kitchen, Zoe trailing after her to help. Larry, Connor and Evalynn stood around awkwardly.

"Why don't we sit while we wait. I'd like to get to know more about you and this project you're working on with my son."

The three moved to sit in the living room, Connor and Evalynn taking the couch and Larry taking one of the armchairs.

"So this project. What's it for?"

_'English.'_

"English. It's a book report for class."

"Book report, huh? What book?"

"_Be More Chill _by Ned Vazzini."

Larry arched an eyebrow as he looked between the two teens. Before he could ask Evalynn another question, Zoe walked in.

"Mom says dinner's ready."

They all migrated to the dining room. Larry and Zoe took either end of the table while Connor sat to Larry's left and Cynthia sat to his right. Evalynn took the empty seat to Connor's left beside Zoe.

"So, Evalynn, have you heard of SQUIPs?"

Connor froze with his fork halfway to his mouth at his dad's words.

"What?"

"SQUIPs. Have you heard of them?"

"Can't say that I have. What are they?"

"In simple terms, it's a supercomputer inside a pill you can take that implants itself in your brain and tells you how to act."

"Tells you how to act? Why would anybody want that?"

"You'd be surprised."

"So you just swallow some pill and it works?"

"Well, you have to have a specific drink to activate it, but yes."

"A specific drink? What?"

Larry shook his head at Evalynn's question.

"I shouldn't tell you that."

"Why not? I don't know how to get my hands on one, and even if I did, I doubt I'd want to get one."

"Fine. You activate them using Mountain Dew."

Evalynn gagged on her drink.

"Mountain Dew? That's disgusting."

"You don't like Mountain Dew?" Connor asked.

"No, I think it's disgusting."

"Well then, I guess we don't have to worry about you getting a SQUIP," Larry chuckled.

"Yeah. No worries there," Evalynn agreed.

"If one had a SQUIP, how would they get rid of it?" Connor inquired.

"Oh, you can't."

"You can't?"

"No. The drink that deactivated them was discontinued in the 1990's, so there's no way to get rid of it once it's activated."

"Can we change the subject, please?" Cynthia asked them.

"Sure thing. So how was school today, Zoe?" Larry inquired.

Dinner continued pleasantly, with no mention of SQUIPS again. Evalynn was painfully aware of Connor's eyes boring into the side of her head the entire time.


	13. Confessions

**AN: Here y'all go. Next one. Two more chapters left of this one and then I'll start posting the sequel. Still Saturdays as usual. Enjoy, and You know the drill with the SQUIP!**

"You don't like Mountain Dew!"

"No."

"But you obviously drank some."

"Yeah, I chugged as much as I could and then threw the rest away."

"You-Seriously?"

Evalynn shrugged, sitting on the edge of Connor's bed. Connor just stared at her incredulously.

"Lynn, why didn't you say anything?"

"You didn't tell me how to activate it, and the guy only gave me instructions after I bought the pill."

Connor pinched the bridge of his nose, eyes shut tight.

"I can't believe this."

"What? What can't you believe?"

"Why'd you do it? If you think Mountain Dew is disgusting, why'd you do it?"

"I don't know. My anxiety was getting worse. The letters to myself weren't helping like my therapist claimed they would. I was feeling so alone. Like no one would notice if I just up and disappeared. Hell, you were there! You saw my letter. It's why you recommended the SQUIP in the first place!"

"Saw your-"

"You know. 'Dear Evalynn Hansen. It turns out today wasn't an amazing day after all. This isn't going to be an amazing week or an amazing year. Because...why would it be?' Need I continue? I memorized the whole thing."

"N-no. I remember it," Connor wouldn't meet her gaze.

_'Tell him the truth about your arm.'_

"I didn't fall."

"What?"

"Out of the tree. I didn't fall. I let go. That's how messed up I was. I attempted suicide by climbing a tree!"

"Are we confessing things now? Alright, how about this, I had a bottle of pills in my bag and went into the computer planning to kill myself that day. But then you were there, and my SQUIP told me to read your letter on the printer then offer you a SQUIP yourself."

"Discontinued in the 1990s...Michael..."

"What?"

"Your dad said the drink that deactivated SQUIPs was discontinued in the 1990s."

"So what does that have to do with Michael?"

Before Evalynn could respond, a shock stronger than ever before sent her curling up in a ball, screaming at the pain.

"Evalynn!"

She couldn't reply, the pain rendering her dysfunctional. Someone was banging on Connor's door. All Evalynn could hear was the SQUIP's laughter as they up-ed the voltage and continued to shock her.


	14. Mountain Dew Red

**AN: One more after this. Next week I'll post the last chapter of this and the first one of the sequel. Enjoy, and you know the drill!**

When Evalynn opened her eyes, she was laying in a hospital bed. Several machines beeped as they monitored her vitals. Sat in the plastic chairs beside her bed were Connor, Zoe, her mom, Evan, Jared, Jeremy and Michael. How she was able to see the last four was beyond her. Jared was the first to notice she was awake.

"Acorn! You're up!"

Everyone looked over and her mom was by her side in seconds.

"Oh, sweetie. We were so worried."

Evalynn tried to respond, but couldn't. Everything hurt and she felt completely drained.

"The doctors didn't know what was happening to you. It was like your brain was sending signals to your body to shock yourself. And at that voltage and that amount of electricity...it was lethal. It should have killed you hours ago."

Evalynn stared at her mother, wide eyed. The SQUIP had been giving her deadly amounts of electricity when it shocked her. What had it been trying to accomplish? Seeing the distress in her daughter's eyes, Heidi quickly took her by the hand in an attempt to calm her.

"Your friends actually wanted to talk to you alone, so I'm going to step out and find a doctor, okay?"

Evalynn nodded slightly, still unable to find her voice. Squeezing her hand, Heidi exited the room to give the teens some privacy.

"Okay. Don't get mad, but I told them about the SQUIPs," Connor started.

Immediately, Evalynn's heart rate increased and the monitor next to her bed betrayed her by showing it.

"I said don't get mad! And your mom still doesn't know, by the way."

Her heart rate slowed slightly, but not much.

"Anyway, I mentioned that the last thing you were thinking about was Michael and the fact that the drink used to deactivate them was discontinued in the 90s..." here Connor looked over at Michael.

"Well, you know I collect stuff like that? So I went through my collection and it hit me: Mountain Dew Red!"

Evalynn knit her eyebrows together, confused.

"Think about it," Jeremy jumped in. "Green Mountain Dew activates it, right? So Red shuts it off!"

"Guys, try not to overwhelm her. She just woke up," Evan cut in as her heartbeat started to pick back up.

"So, anyway, after the stunt the SQUIP pulled, we had Michael grab some, and-" Jared started.

"GUYS!" Zoe and Evan shouted in unison.

Everyone fell silent, listening to Evalynn's heart rate slow back down. They all looked sheepishly between her and Evan, ashamed they hadn't listened sooner.

"Michael, do you have it?" Connor broke the silence finally.

"Yeah, and I brought a second just in case you wanted to...you know, get rid of yours, too."

Michael reached into his bag and brought out the two bottles of soda, handing them over to Connor. After setting one of the soft drinks underneath his chair, Connor stood and brought the other one over to Evalynn.

"Now, we all agree that it would be for the best if you drank this, but it is ultimately your choice," he said, placing the Mountain Dew Red on the nightstand beside her bed.

"A-are you going t-to drink y-yours?" she asked, throat burning as she spoke for the first time.

"I...yes. Yes, I am. I don't want it any more. Not since I saw what it's capable of with yours."

"Synced up."

"What?"

"M-mine synced w-with yours when I f-first got i-it. O-only one of u-us has t-to drink i-it."

"Are you sure?"

"P-pretty sure. A-and if it d-doesn't work, I-I'll drink it. I p-promise."

Her throat was screaming in protest with every word she spoke. Connor nodded his head in understanding.

"Okay. You ready?"

Evalynn nodded in agreement, eyes locked on him as he unscrewed the lid and drank from the soda. When a quarter of the drink was gone, he lowered it, waiting. A second later, he clutched his head in pain. Evalynn joined him a few moments later. After nearly two minutes of pain, it stopped. The two teens stared at each other. Evalynn felt slightly empty, like a piece of her was missing.

"Did it work? Are they both gone?" Jeremy asked.

"I think so. Evalynn?"

"I-it's gone. I d-don't feel i-it any more."

"It worked?"

"It worked."


	15. Second Shot

**AN: And here you go.**

Inside the warehouse, a pair of glowing electric blue eyes snapped open.

"You failed. But I'm feeling generous," a voice said. "How about a second shot?"

The being with the glowing eyes stood up, facing the speaker.

"Perfect. I won't fail again."

Fin


End file.
